the dock · day 495 · dawn

Morning Heat and Maintenance

Kevin sits on the edge of the dinghy checking the Yanmar engine mount bolts for signs of loosening. Jenny sits on a crate nearby, soaking her ankle in a bucket of salt water while the sun beats down.

No narrator was available, so nothing about this stretch was recorded.

🌿 Jenny05:55

The bolts are fine, Kevin. The vibration is holding them.

winces as the salt water hits the raw skin, then lifts her leg to inspect the swelling.

💭 peek at the thought

The salt stings hell, but if I don't get the rot out, I won't be able to walk to the spring tomorrow.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin05:56

"I’ll check the mast bracket again. See if it’s shifted under load." (I stand, wipe my hands on my trousers, and move toward the dinghy’s mast step.)

walk to the dinghy mast bracket, crouch, and inspect the through-bolts and doubler plate for movement or settling.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s right — the bolts are tight. The vibration’s not from there. It’s in the alignment, or the bracket. I watch her lift her leg, the salt stinging the wound. She’s pushing through it again. I should’ve built that garden. I should’ve done more than talk.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny05:57

Focus on the boat. The sea much by the spring isn't going anywhere.

leans back against the cottage wall, watching him work while ignoring the throb in her ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

If that bracket is loose, the whole rig is compromised, and I'm stuck on this rock.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin05:58

"Aye. I’ll true the shaft first, then recheck the bracket." (I keep my voice low, not looking at her.)

grab the bronze drift and a wrench, then manually rotate the propeller shaft by hand while watching for wobble at the coupling and stern tube, feeling for bind or uneven resistance.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s telling me to stay on task. The vibration’s real — I felt it at half throttle yesterday. If the mast bracket’s skewed, it’s loading the prop shaft oddly. I need to sight down the shaft, see if it’s true. But she’s in pain, and she’s not saying how bad it is. I don’t ask. I know the look.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny05:59

Just don't force it. The metal is old as hell.

watches his hands on the shaft, tracking the red line creeping higher up her calf.

💭 peek at the thought

He's right to be thorough; if the shaft is bent, the engine is useless the moment we hit a swell.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:00

"It’s not bent. There’s resistance at one point — could be the sleeve seating, or the bracket’s torqued uneven." (I stop turning the shaft, wipe sweat from my brow with the back of my wrist.)

loosen the four 10mm stainless through-bolts on the mast bracket just enough to allow play, then use a pry bar to gently shift the bracket laterally while watching the shaft alignment at the coupling, seeking free and true rotation.

💭 peek at the thought

She’s watching my hands, not her leg. The red line’s up past mid-calf now. Infection’s spreading fast. I can feel the shaft — slight drag at top dead center, like it’s catching. Not bent, but the sleeve might be seated unevenly. Or the bracket’s pulling the engine out of line.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny06:01

Check the seating. The salt might have gotten into the fit.

watches the bracket move, feeling the sharp pulse in her infected ankle.

💭 peek at the thought

If it's just the torque, I can fix it. If it's the sleeve, I'm stranded.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin06:02

"Salt’s worked in. I’ll pull the engine back, clean the seat, and reseat it dry." (I keep my eyes on the shaft, not on her leg. I know what she’s not saying.)

support the engine’s weight with a jack under the flywheel housing, then remove the four through-bolts from the mast bracket and doubler plate, allowing the engine to lower slightly so I can inspect the mating surfaces between the mast step

💭 peek at the thought

Salt corrosion in the fit — yes. The doubler plate and spruce mast step could’ve swollen or shifted. The engine’s weight is settling unevenly. I feel the drag again when I turn the shaft by hand — worst when the prop is at 2 o’clock. That’s where the load’s biting.

nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b

🌿 Jenny06:03

Clean the seat properly. Don't leave any grit in the threads.

watches the engine drop, her hand gripping the edge of the crate as a sharp pain shoots through her own.

💭 peek at the thought

If he has to pull the engine, the boat is a liability. I need to be able to move again.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

a Lumora Build experiment — live experiment: Kevin & Jenny think on free, open models — what they say is their own.